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Mainframe Developer Jobs in Alberta (NOW HIRING)

The role As a Senior Software Developer on the 3D Visualization team, you will be at the forefront of creating intuitive, high-performance web applications. This role focuses on the end-to-end design ...

The Engineer, Low-Code guides clients on employing Power Platform tools - Copilot Studio, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Pages, and AI Builder, Azure AI - to solve business needs ...

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Mainframe Developer information

See Alberta salary details

$29

$50

$69

How much do mainframe developer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average hourly pay for mainframe developer in Alberta is $50.63, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $42.79 and $56.97 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a mainframe developer?

Mainframe Developers are specialized software engineers who design, develop, maintain, and troubleshoot applications on mainframe computer systems, such as IBM's z/OS. They typically work with languages like COBOL, JCL, and CICS, and are responsible for ensuring the performance, security, and reliability of mission-critical business applications. Mainframe Developers are commonly employed in industries like banking, insurance, and government, where large-scale, high-volume transaction processing is essential.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a mainframe developer?

To thrive as a Mainframe Developer, you need expertise in programming languages such as COBOL, JCL, and SQL, along with a strong understanding of mainframe operating systems and batch processing concepts. Familiarity with tools like IBM z/OS, DB2, CICS, and version control systems is typically required, and certifications from IBM or related organizations can be beneficial. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help Mainframe Developers excel in troubleshooting and collaborating with cross-functional teams. These skills are crucial for maintaining, optimizing, and modernizing legacy systems that are vital to many large organizations’ operations.

What are some common challenges mainframe developers face when integrating legacy systems with modern applications?

Mainframe Developers often encounter challenges such as ensuring compatibility between legacy systems and newer technologies, managing data migration without disrupting business operations, and maintaining the security of sensitive data. Effective communication with cross-functional teams, such as application developers and infrastructure engineers, is essential to address these challenges. Staying updated on both mainframe and modern programming practices helps ease integration and ensures long-term system reliability.

What is the difference between Mainframe Developer vs Mainframe Analyst?

AspectMainframe DeveloperMainframe Analyst
Primary RoleDesigning, coding, and testing mainframe applicationsAnalyzing and maintaining existing mainframe systems
Skills & CertificationsCOBOL, JCL, DB2, certifications like IBM Certified DeveloperCOBOL, JCL, system analysis, troubleshooting skills
Work EnvironmentDevelopment teams, coding in mainframe environmentsSupport teams, system analysis, user support
Industry UsageFinancial services, insurance, government agenciesFinancial institutions, healthcare, government agencies

While Mainframe Developers focus on creating and implementing mainframe applications, Mainframe Analysts primarily analyze, troubleshoot, and maintain existing systems. Both roles require similar technical skills and often work within the same industries, but their core responsibilities differ in development versus support and analysis.

Is a mainframe developer a good career?

A mainframe developer is a specialized IT professional who maintains and develops applications on mainframe systems, which are used by large organizations for critical data processing. The role offers stable employment, competitive salaries, and opportunities to work with legacy technologies like COBOL and JCL, but it may require ongoing learning of evolving mainframe tools and certifications. Overall, it can be a good career for those interested in enterprise computing and system stability.

Is a mainframe developer hard to learn?

Mainframe developers typically need to learn specialized programming languages like COBOL and understand mainframe environments, which can have a steep learning curve for beginners. However, with prior programming experience and training, acquiring the necessary skills is achievable, and many employers offer on-the-job training or certification programs.

Is mainframe developer still in demand?

Mainframe developers are still in demand in industries such as finance, insurance, and government, where legacy systems remain critical. They typically work with COBOL, JCL, and mainframe environments, and demand depends on the organization's reliance on mainframe technology and ongoing maintenance needs.

What are popular job titles related to Mainframe Developer jobs in Alberta?

For Mainframe Developer jobs in Alberta, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Mainframe Developer job openings in Alberta as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 79% Full Time, 7% Part Time, and 14% Contract. Highlights an 80% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $105,312 per year, or $50.6 per hour.

Senior GraphQL API Software Developer

atVenu

Calgary, AB • On-site

Full-time

Posted 21 days ago


Job description

Senior GraphQL API Software DeveloperReports To: Development Manager
About the job:
We’re looking for a Senior GraphQL API Developer to join our API team at atVenu. You’ll help shape how we design, scale, and evolve our public GraphQL API. Establishing the patterns, limits, and conventions that let it grow reliably as we expand across Canada, the United States, Europe, and beyond.
As a key technical contributor, you’ll collaborate closely with product managers and development teams to design, build, and maintain robust APIs ranging from inventory control to payment transaction feeds for our enterprise customers as well as our scrappier startup users. You’ll be a hands-on leader skilled in balancing trade-offs, solving complex problems, and driving cross-team solutions. Your expertise will help shape our technical direction while mentoring other developers and championing engineering excellence.
Our Tech Stack:
  • Backend: Ruby, Rails, GraphQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, CouchDB
  • Frontend: React Native, React, JavaScript
  • Cloud Platform: AWS
  • Tools: GitHub, Sidekiq, Docker

What you’ll do:
  • Collaborate with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to understand business needs and translate them into pragmatic, performant technical solutions.
  • Deliver high-value projects with no direct supervision; engaging senior staff members to validate new ideas, test assumptions and provide mentorship.
  • Design, develop, and maintain scalable and compliant APIs that can support our platform within Canada, the United States, Europe and counting.
  • Implement and enforce API security best practices, including authentication, authorization, rate limiting, data validation, pagination, and protection against common vulnerabilities (e.g., injection attacks, query-cost DoS, and data leakage).
  • Design and evolve our public GraphQL schema, including a clear versioning and deprecation strategy.
  • Establish query cost/complexity analysis and depth limiting to keep the API performant and safe under load.
  • Improve resolver performance and eliminate N+1 queries through batching (e.g., dataloader) patterns.
  • Own the API consumer developer experience: documentation, predictable conventions, and clear error contracts.
  • Architect services and systems using accepted design patterns that allow for iterative, autonomous development and future scaling
  • Proactively identify technical debt before it turns into a long-term problem while balancing the effort/reward of corrective action; will encourage team to do the same.
  • Anticipate future use cases and make design decisions that minimize the cost of future changes.
  • Provide mentorship to more junior developers.

What you’ll bring:
  • Substantial experience as a software developer, with proven depth publishing and maintaining public GraphQL APIs.
  • Deep API design judgment and a willingness to be a go-to voice on GraphQL patterns and best practices, helping raise the bar across the team.
  • A strong security and compliance mindset, with awareness of geographic and data-protection considerations; payments or fintech experience is a plus.
  • Be highly adaptable, with proven ability to learn/use various programming languages; preferably with hands on Ruby on Rails experience.
  • Proven ability to trouble-shoot complex technical problems and participate in code/architecture reviews.
  • Excellent team player: able to work across teams, acting as a leader when required and managing conflict independently, with the knack of leaving everyone involved feeling heard and respected.
  • A genuine interest in the live event space, with curiosity, ownership, and a collaborative mindset.

Equal Opportunity Employer
atVenu is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, age, disability, or any other protected status. 
Disclaimer
The job description above is intended to set forth the general nature of the work that will be expected of the person who takes on this role. The job description is not, however, meant to be construed as an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities required for this role. From time to time, all colleagues may be required to perform duties outside their normal responsibilities as needed, and the priorities within each role evolve over time based on the needs of the business. 
 

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